In the wake of the pandemic, the trend of people going to coffee shops to work has become extremely popular. However, one coffee shop in Canterbury, England has decided to fight this new normal.

Fringe and Ginge owners say people working on computers is ruining the atmosphere in their cafes and since the ban, people have started talking more and have "built a community" to enjoy real coffee.

Alfie Edwards, who owns the bar with partner Olivia Walsh, said it was a "difficult decision" but ultimately a success, according to the Daily Mail.

"We had some really bad experiences with guests, asking us to turn the music down so they could join Zoom meetings. Then we realized, there are a lot of places where you can go and rent a desk, you can work in the library. Here, we want to bring back the hospitality, dedicate ourselves to serving people and giving them a great experience," he said.

Edwards and Walsh opened the cafe in July 2020, just after the first Covid-19 lockdown was lifted, at the height of the remote working trend.

However, over time, many customers have spent hours sitting in front of computers and typing in silence in coffee shops.

Describing how the atmosphere has changed since the laptop ban was implemented, Edwards said: “It’s great to have people who were previously strangers now chatting regularly to connect with each other more.

However, other local businesses disagreed with Fringe and Ginge's approach, leading to controversy.

Hannah Swann, 28, manager of the nearby Garage Cafe, said she sympathized with the laptop ban but would not do it herself.

"We allow laptops here, most people are happy about that, sometimes people take advantage of it, but we usually have enough space in this cafe to be able to continue and not worry too much about it. I think the cafe is actually a great place to work because it's quiet," she said, but at the same time she was concerned about customers sitting too long...